Zimbabwe: Biti criticised for anti-Zezuru comments

MDC-T secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti has come under fire for making tribal slurs against the Zezuru community with a call that the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee should intervene and reprimand him. Mr Biti, who is also Finance Minister in the inclusive Government, made the tribal diatribe during a press conference two weeks ago when he announced his party’s endorsement of the draft Constitution produced by the Copac management committee.

In his address, Mr Biti launched a tribal attack against Zezurus, saying the draft Constitution was meant to curtail their supposed dominance in the country’s body politic.

“We are de-Zezurunising the State, let me put it clear, there is too much Zvimbanisation of this State, the first is that under this constitution all citizens are equal whether citizens by birth, by descent or by registration,” said Mr Biti.

Mr Biti, however, tried to retract his statement later realising the backlash that would come saying “I just used it as colour, don’t confuse it with substance.”

But Zvimba Development Association chairperson, Mr Charles Nyachowe did not take this lightly. He said Mr Biti’s remarks had caused a lot of anxiety among many Zimbabweans.

Such utterances, he said, had the effect of inciting tribal clashes.

“We are surprised by the silence of Jomic, we feel the organ should take decisive action against the threat made by Mr Biti,” said Mr Nyachowe, who is also a former Harare councillor.

He said world history was littered with cases where thousands of lives had been lost due to clashes triggered by “such reckless tribal statements”. Read more…